Background

Background

The Sustainability Committee was founded on 1 April 2023. Previously, the activities in the area of sustainability were initiated and supported significantly by the Sustainability Working Group.

Formation

In their general assembly on 11 July 2019, held at the initiative of Students for Future, the students of TU Braunschweig decided to recommend a stronger emphasis on sustainability within the University.

The Executive Board took their concerns seriously and initiated a dialogue with Students for Future. As a direct consequence, the Working Group Sustainability was formed, consisting of representatives of all faculties and status groups.

First Meeting

Foto des Kernteams der AG Nachhaltigkeit bei 1. Sitzung am 28.10.2019

The first meeting of the founding group took place on 28.10.2019. The first members are:

  • Prof. Wolfgang Durner (Chair WG Sustainability, former Sustainability Officer)
  • Stefanie Winkler-Franz (Department 16 - Academic and Student Affairs)
  • Kai Brunzel (Student Office)
  • Dr. Felix Büsching (Institute of Operating Systems and Computer Networks)
  • Prof. Bernd Engel (elenia Institute for High Voltage Technology and Power Systems)
  • Philip Franck (AStA Ecology Department)
  • Henning Hartmann (Department 34 – Communications, Automation and Energy Management)
  • Mariça Rapior (Institute of Psychology)
  • Prof. Uwe Schröder (Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry)
  • Thomas Wilken (Institute for Building Climatology and Energy of Architecture)

Cooperation

Since 2019, the cooperation between the Executive Board of the University and the Students for Future intensified. Professor Durner, then Vice President, later Sustainability Officer, significantly expanded the scope of the WG Sustainability as well as its number of members.

Treffen der "Students for Future" mit der damaligen Präsidentin Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla
Meeting of Students for Future with then president Prof. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla

Task Forces

Task forces were established as operational sub-units of the Sustainability Working Group. They they consist of members of the WG as well as other voluntary, committed TU members and have worked on projects in the areas of mobility, waste management, green area management, energy and the lecture series "TU for Future".

 

Further development

Following the appointment of a Senior Vice President in the Executive Board in July 2022, the Sustainability Committee was established on 1 April 2023 as a joint commission of the Senate and the Executive Board.